According to the Lagos State Police Command, the alleged attack on a BRT bus on Wednesday in the Orile area of the state is thought to have been carried out by suspected motorcyclists, also known as Okada riders, whose motorcycles were seized.
Benjamin Hundeyin, the spokesperson for the Command, revealed this to the News Agency of Nigeria on Friday in a Lagos interview.
Hundeyin made it clear that the incident was a response by the suspected motorcycle riders to having their bikes seized, rather than an instance of armed robbery.
He clarified that some motorcycles had been seized as a result of a raid by the Lagos State Taskforce on Environment and Special Offenses Enforcement Unit on commercial motorcycle riders operating on BRT lanes and other forbidden roads.
He claimed that some of the motorcycle riders who, because of their positions, opposed the police during the raid, were taken into custody.
“Some of these motorcyclists became angry and mobilized themselves to protest. The nearest Lagos State Government facility they encountered was the approaching BRT bus.
“They forced the driver to stop and attacked the bus. The driver, not feeling confident enough to drive through them, stopped and fled the bus, allowing the riders to vandalize the windows of the BRT.
“While there are claims that some passengers were robbed in the bus, no one has come forward to report this to the police,” he said.
The Lagos State Taskforce on Environment and Special Offenses Enforcement Unit reportedly seized 164 motorcycles from the state’s roadways on Tuesday, according to NAN. This was because the Lagos State Road Transport Sector Reform Law of 2018 which disallows motorcyclists from using all highways in the state, was violated.
